Our first full day in Canada. We were exhausted and spent the morning relaxing at our, ahem, accommodations…and yes we know we should be out dashing around but we need our energy for the coming days! Impressions: The view out the window looks mostly the same as America, except that instead of Starbucks we see Tim Horton's, which is a famous Canadian coffee and donut shop. We have our breakfast and call Jon’s grandparents, who are excited to hear from us and tell us that they are expecting us and to come over when we are ready. It must, I suppose, be mentioned that our morning at the hotel was not altogether uneventful as Jon learned that when using hair trimmers to thin eyebrows it would behoove one to wear glasses if needed. Sheer panic and some makeup magic later it was safe to leave and face the world, down half an eyebrow but ever fuller of wisdom. We headed straight from the hotel to the local Timmy Ho’s and grabbed sandwiches and a 10 pack of their donut holes called, naturally, "Timbits." Delicious. Not as sweet as expected from donuts but glazed and wonderful all the same

. Vanessa is already a convert to their bagel breakfast sandwiches and chai tea, she is asking for a Tim Horton’s in the states. After breakfast we felt protein’d up and ready to meet the family. When we arrived Jon was immediately reminded of the summers spent at their house as a young(er) man and Vanessa was excited and anxious to meet them. We walked in and met his Grandpa (Papa) and Grandma (Mama) and his Aunt (Christine). We sat and talked and had dinner brought by Christine’s boyfriend (John) before retiring to the living room where Jon’s grandparents brought out their old photo albums to look at. Seeing the pictures of India where they had lived and of them as young adults and of Jon’s dad as a child was very interesting and they told stories of the experiences they had while there. The photos were so interesting showing his grandparents and father holding tiger cubs in the village, as well as snapshots of their friends and the natives in the area. Jonathan’s grandmother also showed us a necklace she was given as a going away present when they left India in 1964. We sat and talked well into the night sharing many experiences and laughs and look forward to some delicious home cooked Indian food to come. Tomorrow it is onward to The City!